John 10 years, 12 months ago on PM announces commission to create new festival
PM announces commission to create new festival
One would think that they would start off by doing some ;local music and entertainment downtown (after the stores close, or even have extended store hours, on the night that the most cruise ships are in. Bay Street can be closed to traffic, and have chairs and tables set up for outdoor dining, the police band. local artist and artisans can display their works for sale and finish with a junkanoo rush. So you improve on and increase the presentation of things that are popular with the tourist.Then grow it into an event that is put on annually where it is of a larger scale and can draw the numbers to make it successful. The weekly or biweekly events should be more of a walk about, dining affair, rather than a rush out that draws large crowds but tourists do not get to spend any money. The booze and cruise and ferry boats can be used to taxi persons from Paradise Island and even offer cruises around the harbor after the event. Remember tourists aint coming here to hear about our problems, or worry about them. they want to party, to be entertained, to have fun and have some experience to take back home.
blackcat 10 years, 11 months ago on Bahamas Bus and Truck robbed
Bahamas Bus and Truck robbed
To piggyback on another's post- an armoured truck should have been used. It's not worth it in this day and time to take chances depositing large amounts of cash by hand. Whether he trusted this employee or not, in my opinion, a car service is a much safer bet.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 11 months ago on Boyfriend of murdered woman named as suspect in double killing
Boyfriend of murdered woman named as suspect in double killing
The police could be on 24 hour shifts and you can,t stop crime like this .We hit ,slap ,shout at and degrade children in anger teaching them that violence is an accepted form of conflict resolution ,all under the guise of" spare the rod spoils the child " There are too many studies to list that show beating and hitting children in anger just makes them become violent adults ..I I see it everyday ,young mothers and fathers losing there tempers and threatening and hitting children b/c thats how they were raised .We really are in the dark ages w/ our child rearing habits and crime and violence will increase ,even the police beat the living sh@@t out of people ,,we have used "spare the rod spoil the child " to turn us into a physically violent people w/ force as our main means of conflict resolution ..
Lagie 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
7,000 animals divided by 10 years is 700 a year by my calculations. Operation Potcake did three times that amount in ten days.
keithcooper 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
You need to get out there and be more visible...hiding behind your glory does nothing to educate some of the dumb ass people who bring these animals that are suffering...as an association your group should lobby the government for laws to protect these animals along with severe punishment when convicted of animal abuse. I am tired of all the BS and wasted talk in this country...these animals have no voice and at least the VMAB should be that voice for God's creatures. Your organization need to get up off your asses and do some good the animals.
B_I_D___ 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
If there is so much work to be done, and you have these people willing to come in here and HELP you all...why block it? WHY? What purpose does it serve? Embrace them with open arms...work WITH them, ALONGSIDE them, take advantage of the extra hands...for FREE. tell me why blocking this is of any benefit to any of us, except for you all for some monetary benefit...that is the ONLY reason why a program like this has any backing to be blocked...it's causing you to lose money.
B_I_D___ 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Dead dogs...same thing...this one people are assisting to fix and can be accomplished...can't fix stupid (society/gang violence)...mind you, I am wondering about some of these vets. Maybe the logic is the same as our police enforcement...we can do it ourselves, so let's shun any outside assistance...heck...let's block it 100%...because we can do it ourselves...or maybe not...but hey...I'm going to pound my chest like the ape that I am and block anyone from moving forward and making a difference. Stats...700 per year...2 or so a day...over 2,000 in 10 days...but we are going to block you out of spite because you make us look bad...our pride is hurt. Sorry guys...0% respect...or support.
JohnDoe 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Below, and correct me if I am wrong, is what I understand to be a purported excerpt from your letter to Operation Potcake, "going into the next few weeks, knowing that a considerable amount of planning has already gone into OP 2014, we would respectfully like to present to your planning committee an alternative to the current construction of this exercise. Firstly, we politely decline the offer to have the additional veterinarians come in to assist in surgeries, inclusive of the cat clinic at the BHS. We apologize for any inconvenience that it may cause any person, as advanced notice is preferred under such circumstances. We do feel as though we are capable of carrying out a considerable number of surgeries, and would like to make a concerted effort to accomplish a realistic goal all on our own". An objective reader can judge whether you are simply voicing a concern or telling them their help is no longer needed. What I gather people don't understand and maybe you can help us is that assuming we all can agree that we have a stray dog/cat epidemic in our country, why are the local vets taking the position that their services and the services of Operation Potcake must be mutually exclusive when both are striving to accomplish the same objectives
dogfriendly 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
To the vets: can you put aside your differences with the OP program and let them just get on with their good work? In any case, the dogs and cats in the OP realm will never enter your doors because most are wild, stray, or in yards of the inner city. For sure, your personnel will never go out an take the time to trap them, and for sure no payment of $50 will cross the table! OP did such a wonderful job last year in spite of difficult situations (including a robbery) and they will have another successful 2014 if you will cease this posturing and let them get on with their work.
TruthSayer 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Thank you for that very accurate breakdown of costs. It is obvious the BVMA numbers are padded.
I have read their letter and it is very clear that they do not want foreign vets coming in to work for free. They are trying to backtrack now, because frankly, they are getting destroyed in the media. If in fact, the intent of their letter was to open a dialog about the option for another plan, they might want to rethink who they have write their formal letters. Because from the looks of the comments in this blog (many of which post direct quotes from the letter) everyone seems to have the same interpretation of the meaning.
First they agree to work with the groups that comprise Operation Potcake. Then they see how much money was raised and how much money the volunteers spent getting to the Bahamas and they think (Ka-ching!) we can get all that money and we can say we will do the job and make some money as well! Didn't anticipate the pushback on you plan, did you? Why is everyone acting this way towards you? Because they do not like being lied to, they do not like promises being broken, they do not like people who can't give 10-14 days out of their year to volunteer to help those less fortunate. I'm not as all saying that none of the vet association doesn't volunteer, but the letter from your leader certainly does not reflect that.
So let's say you do 500 surgeries for $50, we now know the actual cost of the supplies is roughly $17, but I'll round up in your favor to $20. They pay you $50 x 500 = $25,000. Actual costs are $10,000. That gives your a nice profit of $15,000. Here is the problem with your thinking, you assumed people were dumb, but they aren't, no even close. Animal Welfare volunteers are some of the smartest people I have ever met and some of the most passionate. That is a bad mixture if you try to BS them and then do something that is not in the best interest of the animals. One can see from this blog, that you have found that out.
In your letter, you also mention you can only do 3 days, just too much of a hardship for you to do more. That doesn't bode well with people either, not people who spend their vacation time going to volunteer to help animals, not the people who plan their days off a year in advance to be be able to volunteer more. So, you grudging offer to work for 3 days and make a profit, even if it is not your normal profit margin, that pisses them off.
In the end whatever is decided about the money, you cannot make the impact required to address the overpopulation in 3 days with just a few vets. Battles are not won by a few soldiers taking out a few other soldiers. It takes an army. You were offered a well trained, dedicated army to help you fix your problem. They deal with the dogs that would never, ever grace the doors of your clinics.
I hope everybody can swallow their pride, lick their wounds and honor the commitments they made.
Jack 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?
Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?
Bizzell. If you're not making any money they why are you trying to stop others from coming in?? If you were so sure that you're just breaking even then it would make much more sense for you to just let the other vets come and do the full 5 days while you guys get on with your precious practices.
You've never supported this project, you sure as hell don't care about animals, only turning a profit. Bahamian vets doing something for free, don't make me laugh.
ETJ 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?
Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?
Pro bono means FREE, not $50 per. Wonderful that you did over 7000 surgeries ($350,000!) but...then why is there still such a problem? Obviously because that was not nearly enough. And again what is the plan by the VMAB to actually solve this problem instead of continuing to do a trickle to be paid for by struggling humane societies and rescues, and to stop efforts that might actually have a meaningful impact in a shorter period of time?
What do you mean by ineffective canine control programs? If you are implying that more animals need to be killed you are so woefully behind the times it's not even funny. Please do your homework on EFFECTIVE and HUMANE solutions to pet over population problems. If you are advocating catching and killing more animals, that does not speak well of you as a veterinary professional. Not in 2013. It has not been recognized as an effective method of animal control, for many many years now.
Local vets have agreed to this providing their expenses are paid??? Why should animal welfare orgs be held hostage like this if there are people willing to come in here and do more in a shorter time frame than local vets are able to do? There is no shame in that, but there is shame in local vets stopping such efforts without a comparable effort being made and maybe just maybe a little TRUE pro bono, i.e. FREE, work being donated. You are not helping the reputation and public opinion of local vets with posts such as this. People are disgusted and frustrated and your reasoning is irrational and defensive. Not one iota of concern for the helpless animals. THIS is the problem, and the disconnect that the VMAB caused with that highly offensive letter, absolutely needs to be rectified if they hope to salvage any public support at all. You cannot beat reasonable, ordinary, caring people over the head and expect them to capitulate to unreasonable and ineffective demands. Being negative and defensive only makes you look worse. If indeed the VMAB is committed to dealing with this problem, then surely face to face meetings would have been preferable to that awful negative letter; and waiting til almost the 11th hour before Operation Potcake was to commence has not helped.
ETJ 10 years, 11 months ago on Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?
Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?
Spay neuter is the most logical solution to an ever increasing animal over population problem, and with good reason. The only way it actually works as a solution is when it can be targeted and hard hitting in a massive way in the biggest problem areas. Not by chipping away at it little by little. The VMAB admitted they cannot perform the number of surgeries hoped for during Operation Potcake 2014. Many of the foreign vets bring donated supplies so it does not necessarily cost $50 per animal in supplies. A cat neuter for example does not require $50 in drugs and supplies and neither does a dog neuter. Not all cat and dog spays require that amount either.
The VMAB admits they cannot do high volume and they need remuneration for what they do do. The VMAB says they can solve this problem but they need to explain exactly how they intend to do that; when to date, they haven't even come close. Expecting overburdened, struggling shelters and rescues to find even more money to pay local vets, and be content with doing a small percentage at a time of what needs doing, is not realistic. We'll still be swimming in cats and dogs a decade from now.
Pro bono is not charging $50 per surgery or giving discounts to rescues. Pro bono means FREE and completely donated.
This is not about respect for Bahamian vets. Any vet who is offended by this backlash should try to read that letter through the eyes of non-vet animal advocates who are working hard to end the suffering of animals in this Bahamas. It comes off as arrogant and self serving, and now it has gone international. That letter did not inspire any affection or respect for Bahamian vets, which is a shame as those of us who live here do understand what a challenge it must be to have a successful practice given the cultural mores and attitudes towards animals.
If a vet is unable financially to donate their time and supplies, there is no shame in that; God knows in this economic climate, many people are struggling and everyone in this Bahamas can understand and sympathize with that. It's obvious that there are simply not enough local vets to effectively deal with this problem. No one is saying that foreign vets are better in any way than local ones. Right now this country is suffering horribly - thousands of our citizens don't even know where their next meal is coming from. Many of them have pets. This is where the majority of problem lies.
We have a huge problem here that has been ignored for far too long, with thousands of suffering animals, and if it takes outside help initially to rectify it, there is no shame and disrespect for anyone in that. What would be shameful is if the VMAB continues on this obstructionist path, and the animal population continues to spiral out of control, as it is doing as I type.
BiminiHomeowner 10 years, 10 months ago on It's about animals, not vets
It's about animals, not vets
Supporting the mission of Operation Potcake goes beyond the concerns of "animal lovers." This is a quality of life issue for all residents of the Bahamas.
Having such a serious problem with strays makes the Bahamas look bad as a country, turning away tourists and investors. These stray, uncared for animals also often become nuisances or dangers to residents and visitors.
This problem also contributes to many Bahamians viewing dogs and cats as "pests" that should just be killed or exterminated. This perception that some locals have also makes the Bahamas look "backwards" to many people who would are looking to invest here.
The VMAB's decision has only made these problems worse. Worse for the animals, worse for the people that live here, and worse for their reputations as care-providers for these animals.
It's a shame.
shantelle 10 years, 10 months ago on It's about animals, not vets
It's about animals, not vets
Id like the know who will pay for the vets 'intended' plan to spay/neuter 3,000 per year. They are certainly not going to finance these surgeries themselves.
Currently it is dedicated volunteers of the local animal organizations that work tirelessly to raise these funds for spay/neuters along with generous donors that believe in the cause.
The most effective use of this hard earned money is to perform as many spay/neuters for the least cost possible which is what will happen at Operation Potcake where they provide the materials, buy in bulk at minimal cost and vets donate their time.
Allow the foreign vets in, let them do another 1,000 spay/neuters and believe me there will still be enough dogs and cats left if local vets still want to carry our their proposed plan as well.
When you have starving and suffering animals on the streets there should be no time for pride, egos and a need for power or control. Arguing politics is taking valuable time away from helping the animals, the volunteers certainly would rather be spending their time being proactive - why don't the vets?
TruthSayer 10 years, 10 months ago on Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
No one is withdrawing support. Operation Potcake organizers have worked with the Vet association from the beginning. They were part of the overall plan....from the beginning. They have been invited to attend every meeting (interesting, when the vets met about this issue, they did not offer an invitation to OP. OP asked to attend and were told no.....great way to show you want to work with others, huh?) The vet association said from the beginning (about 2 years ago now) that they could not take the time to tackle the problem, but offered to do surgeries for OP during the year at a cost of........Wait for it..........$30, this included money for them, supplies and to pay assistants. OP would purchase vaccines. They were to do, collectively, 1000 surgeries during the year, between the big OP clinics. This is what THEY agreed to do, ThEY said they couldn't take the time for the big mash clinics (and they are still saying that, as they can only offer 3 days a year to help the problem) So I would like to see their numbers on how many surgeries they have done during the year? My guess is not many. In the end it is the VMAB that has pulled their support, in the end it is the MVAB that refuses to work with others to fix the problem. You say they have challenged themselves to fix it, yet they have on multiple occasions said they cannot do it. In the mean time, the dogs and cats are breeding while they figure it out. This is not a new problem and having volunteer Vets come in to assist is not going to threaten their jobs. These animals would NEVER, EVER end up in their clinics and while they sit in their clinics, the animals suffer on the streets. It is time to swallow their pride and do the right thing. There is a certain grace in accepting help when it is offered.
UserOne 10 years, 10 months ago on Overwhelming support for Operation Potcake
Overwhelming support for Operation Potcake
Apparently rory can't. He has perfected personal nastiness and his comments are not worth reading as a result.
1pnewman 10 years, 10 months ago on Overwhelming support for Operation Potcake
Overwhelming support for Operation Potcake
I personally believe him to be an uneducated cretin who always bring some type of racial or xenophobic slant to the discussion, be it warranted or not.
AnOutsider 10 years, 10 months ago on It's about animals, not vets
It's about animals, not vets
I am an outsider. Sometimes the observations of outsiders can be relevant. We have been visitors to GBI since our honeymoon in 1971 and have seen enormous changes there over the decades, some good, some not. Our recent visits have been tainted by the animal problems evident in the strays we have seen on the roadways and at the resort. We have driven the length of the island more than once and have witnessed ourselves dogs roaming deserted roads. One can only imagine the harsh cruel life they face. It makes me heartsick that the animals are being used as pawns in a game of oneupsmanship in the veterinary arena. Ego seems to be the reason the island's vets are saying "we will take care of the problem ourselves", like spoiled children. Pride is when you have put ego aside and accomplished something for someone else's welfare beside your own. I used to care about the island and its residents. I loved sitting and talking with the people working at the resort about their homes and families. We supported the Humane Society as best we could trying to help them care for the innumerable needy animals. We watched the news of government and economic progress with hopes things would get better for the residents and the helpless animals who live there. It makes me ill to watch the decline in so many areas, especially the welfare of those unable to care for themselves. It's difficult to care about a nation who says "we will take care of it ourselves" when it's been proven they are either unwilling or unable to do so, and refuse to cooperate with those who are. Where is the government oversight on this problem? Anyone can plainly see that the government of the Bahamas is very self-absorbed and self-serving to the detriment of real progress in many areas. Ego, not pride.
hj 10 years, 12 months ago on Bodie sorry for mistake on air
Bodie sorry for mistake on air
A true professional would have verified his story before broadcasting it. Unfortunately in this country we have too many "professionals" "experts" and "advisors". That is why we are in such a mess.